Bassiani and Café Gallery Raided By Police

It was like something out of a movie. Armed police geared up with machine guns cordoned the streets to frisk individuals. But Hollywood is far away as thriving Tbilisi nightclub locations Bassiani and Café Gallery experienced a police raid early Saturday morning.

The raid is thought to be connected to five drug deaths which occurred within the last two weeks, causing an outcry among many opponents of the Tbilisi nightlife scene. Although the government has a zero-tolerance drug policy, places like Bassiani and Café Gallery are considered safe spaces for minor drug consumption. The reputation of both nightclubs goes beyond Georgian borders, both hosting international guests and artists on a regular basis.

Visitors at Bassiani announced their surprise when police started the raid, apparently looking for drug dealers and other drug-related crimes. "The Ministry has been conducting intensive investigative measures for the last three months in order to establish the facts of the drug trade in the Bassiani and Cafe Gallery nightclubs," the Interior Ministry said in a statement published by civil.ge justifying the actions.

During the raid, nightclub lovers protested in front of police and took video recordings to document their behavior. According to protestors, the police used disproportionate force. They accused the authorities of engaging in shady schemes to find drug dealers, as the authorities themselves could have planted the drugs. 

Besides arresting eight alleged drug dealers, the police detained several protesters before the crowd moved to the parliament building to continue their protests.

By Benjamin Music

Photo: Bassiani